Admission Requirements

The Professional MBA (PMBA) program is designed for working professionals with at
least two years of full-time work experience. Applications are accepted year-round for entry into the January and August terms. Apply now.

Admissions Criteria

PMBA students' work experience, industry knowledge and management skills are an important
part of the learning experience. The ability to contribute real-world experiences
and situations adds value to the classroom discussion. Applicants are required to
have at least two years of full-time, professional work experience.

Submitted resumes should be accomplishment based and include job responsibilities
(current and past positions) that specifically demonstrate applied quantitative and
analytical skills. Candidates are also encouraged to highlight leadership and management
experience. Candidate resumes may be longer than one page.

An earned undergraduate degree from an accredited institution is required to be considered
for admission to the PMBA program. A degree in business is not required. Applicants
from any major are encouraged to apply.

Transcripts from all institutions attended must be submitted to the Darla Moore School
of Business as part of the admissions process. This includes graduate level credit
(if applicable) and any credit received from an institution in which you did not graduate
(i.e. transfer credit).

You may upload an unofficial copy of your transcript to expedite the review of your
admission application. If you are admitted, you will be required to provide official
transcripts from all institutions attended to finalize the admission process. These documents must be sent electronically or to the Moore School's Graduate Admissions
office at the address below in a sealed envelope from the respective institution.
The Moore School may have access to transcripts of UofSC graduates. Please reach out
to your recruiting manager to determine if there is any further action required if
the University of South Carolina was the last school you attended.

Please send all transcripts to:

Graduate AdmissionsDarla Moore School of BusinessUniversity of South Carolina1014 Greene St.Columbia, SC 29208USA

If your college or university offers PDF delivery of transcripts, the PDF should be
sent to Scott King, director of admissions for graduate programs. Transcripts sent to individuals other
than the director of admissions may not be considered official.

Applicants must provide a valid (five years old or less) Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score or a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score to be considered for admission to the PMBA program. The GMAT and GRE
are composed of verbal, quantitative and analytical sections. The GMAT institutional/program
code for the Moore School is JV2-TP-50. The GRE code for UofSC is 5818.

Prospective PMBA applicants who meet certain requirements may request a GMAT/GRE waiver.
To be eligible for a GMAT/GRE waiver, candidates must have a cumulative undergraduate
or graduate GPA of a 3.0 or higher* and fully satisfy the requirements of one of the following options:

*Exceptional waiver applicants with extenuating circumstances that contributed to a
poor academic performance will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis

Option A (Exemplary Professional or Military Experience Waiver) Candidates must possess at least seven years of professional or military experience
with increasing levels of responsibility. The candidate’s experience should demonstrate
leadership, problem solving ability and analytical thinking.

Option B (Advanced Degree Waiver) Candidates must possess a master's or doctoral degree. Candidates with advanced degrees
are required to demonstrate preparedness based on quantitatively oriented coursework
or work experience.

Please note that the GMAT/GRE waiver is a competitive process and no waiver is automatic.

For consideration for a GMAT/GRE test waiver, PMBA candidates must submit a complete PMBA
admission application. Please reach out to your PMBA recruiter to see if you are competitive for a GMAT/GRE
test waiver. Waiver applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.

2. Provide one to two examples that detail your applied analytical and quantitative
skills and the resulting outcomes for your organization.

Two professional letters of recommendation are required for the admission review.
Recommendations should be written by current or former managers/directors, colleagues
with MBA degrees, senior leaders in organizations that you have worked with, or customers
and clients. Some items to address in the recommendation include performance (current
or prior), industry knowledge, ability to work with teams, project management skills
and leadership potential.

Applicants are required to submit three essays for admission consideration. The statement
of purpose essay provides insight into why an MBA degree is important to his/her career.
Of the four essay questions provided in the application, the applicant must choose
two and write an essay of 250 words minimum.

If your undergraduate academic GPA is less than a 2.7, please address that in a separate
optional essay.

International applicants who do not hold a degree from a United States institution must
also submit a valid (no more than two years old) test score demonstrating their command
of the English language. The minimum score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) is 95 (internet-based). The TOEFL institutional code for the Darla Moore School of Business is 5818. The minimum score for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is
7.0. Please make sure you select the University of South Carolina as a score recipient
when taking the test.

If you have questions regarding the PMBA program or your application, please reach
out to one of the PMBA recruiting team members or register to attend a PMBA recruiting event.

Applicants in the Charlotte, Greenville or Spartanburg areas should reach out toMelissa Nagle.

Applicants in the Columbia, Lowcountry, Savannah or Augusta areas should reach out
toKathy Rollins.

Admissions Decisions

Admission decisions are made when all application documents and the GMAT/GRE score
report (and/or a GMAT/GRE test waiver request application) are received.

Entry Term

Application Deadline

Notification Date

Fall 2019 (August)

Round 1: April 1, 2019

May 15, 2019

Round 2: June 1, 2019

July 15, 2019

Round 3: July 15, 2019 1

ASAP

Spring 2020 (January) 2

Round 1: Oct. 1, 2019

Nov. 1, 2018

Round 2: Nov. 1, 2019 1

ASAP

Updated: May 9, 2019

1 Applications submitted after the final deadline for each entry term will be processed
on a case by case basis. Please contact the PMBA recruiting team if you wish you
apply after the last deadline.2 Spring 2020 application deadlines have recently been revised.

Onboarding Process for New PMBA Students

A non-refundable confirmation fee of $250 is required upon admission to the PMBA program. This fee will be applied to your first term’s tuition bill. To become eligible to register for classes, PMBA students must provide UofSC with immunization records, complete the citizenship verification process and accept or
waive the optional health insurance offered by the university.

The PMBA program team will host required on-boarding webinars weekly starting about
a month before the term begins. Invitations to these sessions will be sent out through
email and will go through some of the details of the New Student Checklist as well
as answer questions from attendees. Visit the Information for New Students tab for more information.